


The Sky Is Falling

by Kayim



Series: Falling Skies (Mag7 AU) [1]
Category: Falling Skies, Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Gen, Mag7 Bingo Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-01
Updated: 2011-07-01
Packaged: 2017-10-20 22:31:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/217786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kayim/pseuds/Kayim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the Mag7 Bingo Prompt of "Apocalypse".  A Mag7 AU set in the Falling Skies universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sky Is Falling

_I was in school when the ships came. They were really big, and they said that we weren't gonna attack them with the nuclear bombs because they might have wanted to be friends. But they didn't want to be friends. Not at all. And then there was a bright light that makes, like, all electronics stop working. Computers. Radios. Satellites. Cars. TVs. Everything. They blew up army bases, ships, the Navy, submarines, and all the soldiers are gone. Now moms and dads have to fight. After that, they blew up all the capitals. New York, Washington, D.C., Paris. To all the major cities. Then they came. There were millions of them. Trillions. Everywhere. We call them Skitters and Mechs. They killed grown-ups, and they catch kids. They put on harness things. They put it on kids and control them. They say it hurts a lot._

 

Vin moved as fast as he could. There was no way he could edge his motorbike around the wrecked cars, so he stayed on foot, stepping lightly and soundlessly, making his way as close to the church as possible. The rest of the team watched from their positions around him – from behind bullet-marked walls and in dark, shadowy corners. Deciding that he was in the best position, Vin stopped where he was, head flicking from side to side as he listened for any indication that they had already heard him. Satisfied that he was still clear, he crouched down, picking up an empty tin can. He bounced it twice in his hand to judge its weight, but before throwing it, he turned, catching Chris' eye. The two of them exchanged silent looks and Vin waited until he saw the slight incline of Chris' head in return, and then faced the already damaged stained-glass window. With a skill honed by years of semi-professional baseball, he threw the can as hard as he could towards one of the few unbroken segments of the window. The shattering glass was loud enough that no Skitter or Mech could possibly have ignored it, but Vin still stood where he was, hands loose by his side, ready to run, but prepared to wait as long as it took.

And it didn’t take long. The church doors burst open and two Skitters came bounding out, their longs legs crossing the distance towards Vin in only seconds. They were followed by a Mech, taller than any human and slower than the Skitters, but just as deadly. Without hesitating, Vin ran away from them, back towards his team. They all knew what to do – the maneuver had been practiced and perfected over the four months since the invasion – but it didn't make it any less terrifying.

Chris watched over his scout from his position behind the corner of another abandoned building. The two Skitters had almost caught up with Vin by the time he made it to the destroyed shell of a car they'd designated as his retreat point. He had always been quick on his feet, which is why Chris had been happy to take him as a scout, but each time they tried this trick, he pushed himself a little bit further, forcing himself to run just a little bit faster. Chris knew that he was going to have to talk to him before long, to make him realize that sacrificing himself wasn't going to bring back any of those they'd loved, but whenever Chris thought about the conversation, his mind drifted back to his beloved Sarah and their Adam. Somewhere, he knew his boy was still alive. Harnessed, no doubt, but alive. And like Vin, he knew if his sacrifice could somehow bring his wife back to him, and rescue his son, he'd give up his life in an instant. He wasn't sure who Vin had lost, but he recognized the desperation in the younger man’s eyes.

As Chris watched, Vin slid effortlessly across the bonnet of the car, ducking down just in time for the blistering stream of fire to shoot over his head and smack the closest Skitter straight in the chest. The second one was already clambering over the body of its partner, but Vin had already jumped to his feet and headed back to where Chris was standing with the flame-thrower. "Nice shot, cowboy," Vin said, resting his back against the wall, breathing heavily. "Almost singed my eyebrows."

"Would have done too, if you were any damn slower." Chris glanced at Vin to ensure that the man hadn't suffered any serious injuries, and turned his attention back to the organized chaos in front of them. The second Skitter had been downed almost as quickly as the first. Nathan and Josiah had rushed it from opposite sides using the axes they had become so fond of. The pair of them had this down to a routine, slicing limbs from the creature one by one until the only thing left to detach was the head. It was Nathan who took the final blow this time, both hands gripping the axe tightly as he swung it.

Buck and Ezra had taken the Mech. Or rather, they'd chosen to kept the Mech distracted while the rest of them carried out their own parts of the plan. Harder to destroy than the Skitters, the team had discovered that the Mechs seemed somewhat less intelligent than their counterparts, which provided the humans with an advantage, albeit a small one. Without a Skitter to instruct them, Mechs would simply attack the closest human. All their attention would be kept on that single target until it was either destroyed or out of sight. If two humans could move fast enough, and were well enough in tune with each other, they could almost confuse the machines by providing two quick moving targets. Which was exactly what Buck and Ezra were doing.

Which left JD. The youngest member of the group, but also the fastest. As soon as the Mech was clear of the church entrance, he made his move. As graceful as a dancer, he sped across the blackened ground that was once the church garden, leaping over obstructions and instinctively finding the safest places to step. Before the second Skitter was even down, he was inside the church. As Nathan swung his axe for the final time, he emerged, a large blanket-covered bundle held closely against his chest. The bundle was almost as large as he was, but it didn’t slow him down at all.

The moment Chris saw him, he shouted out "RETREAT!". JD was the last one back, handing the bundle up to Buck and clambering into the bed of the truck even as it was pulling away. With almost no vehicles still able to operate since the invasion, the roads were clear and Chris drove faster than he would have dared in the past.

"Well?" Josiah shouted back at JD from his seat next to Chris. "Any luck?"

JD nodded and smiled, his brown eyes lighting up. He pulled the blanket back, revealing the small blond head of a young boy. The metal of the harness was just visible on the boy's neck. "I've got him," he told them all. "I've got Billy Travis."


End file.
